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To whom it may concern.
My name is Gladys Radek, Advocate for the Highway of Tears and organizer for the walk4justice happening this summer from June 21, 2008 to September 15, 2008. This walk will be from Vancouver to Ottawa to address and honor all our missing and murdered women across the country.
This letter is to confirm that Rainer Bronner, director of Rain Dance Rubber Boots music and art team is helping/directing provide/arrrange a music and artist line-up for the Edmonton stop. We are very honored that they have offered to entertain and hold events for our family members and walkers in Edmonton. Thank you for your generous support in this very serious issue. We will be in Edmonton July 3 and 4, 2008.
Much Respect,
Gladys Radek
Advocate for the Highway of Tears
organizer for walk4justice2008
604-253-5989 or walk4justice2008@yahoo.ca
PRESS RELEASE
Good day everyone and thank you for being here today. My name is Gladys Radek from the Gitxsan Wet su wit'en territory in northern British Columbia. My clan is the Lax il u or Small Frog clan which follows my mother's matrilinial line. We are here today to introduce a national walk4justice that has been in the works since January 2008. This walk came to me as a vision in September 2007 while walking down the Highway of Tears for the second anniversary of my missing niece, Tamara Lynn Chipman, who disappeared without a trace. She was last seen just out of Prince Rupert, BC, September 21, 2005. To this day she has not been found and there is no closure or accountability for our family.
After her diappearance I started researching on line and contacting the many family members who have lost their loved ones on this treacherous highway. It was realized that there were far too many families suffering because there has been no justice, closure, equality or ACCOUNTABILITY over, at least, the past 4 decades. Our data base has increased to over 3000 women and children still missing or remain unsolved murderers across the country. Over 200 in 2 area's in BC alone. This is not including those who have died through acts of domestic violence or those who are still disappearing at an average of about three a week.
In January 2008 I told a few people about this vision and we have been working non stop to take this initiative to address this on going violence against our women to the top leaders of this country, Prime Minister, Steven Harper and INAC Minister, Chuck Strahl.
Since January we have raised awareness from coast to coast to coast about our intentions to walk4justice, to be a voice for the beautiful women and children who have disappeared with no options of recourse. We want to demand a public inquiry into the untimely deaths of these citizens of Canada. We want justice so that the families can heal their broken hearts and get some closure for their losses. We especially want accountability, in order to get accountability we need equality. We need to revamp the judicial system, law enforcements, all levels of government and leadership in order to move forward into a sustainable society. We need to address the racism, poverty, homelessness and domestic violence running rampid in this country. Women are targeted nation wide and we need it to stop. We are the lifegivers of society. You all need us.
Our working group in Vancouver consist of a very compassionate group of women and men who heard my vision and want to help it become reality. Bernie Williams, Nicole Tait, Vikki Peters, Telsa Pratt, Renee Pratt, Rose Shah'traa and Jackie Lynn have volunteered many months of networking, raising awareness, securing venues and events across the nation. We have several sponsors for this event including the Aboriginal Mothers Center Society, Vancouver, Aboriginal Women's Action Network, Vancouver, Amnesty International, National, Native Womens Association of Canada, National, United Native Nations Society (Lillian George), Longshoreman's Union Local 500, Edmonton Small Press, Canadian Native Friendship Center, Edmonton, Rainermixer Rubberboots (Edmonton), Gallery Gauche and Evelyn Battell and Kathryn Nonesuch, Kermode Friendship Center, Terrace, BC, Canada's First Nations Radio, Terrace, BC, Ksan House Society, Terrace, BC. and Matilda Wilson and family members of Ramona Wilson, victim from Smithers, BC, and Co-op Radio.
We all want to walk4justice to help the families, to be the voices for their loved ones. We will walk from Vancouver, BC to Ottawa, Ontario. We will leave on National Aboriginal Day, June 21, 2008 from Trout Lake in Vancouver, BC. We will arrive in Ottawa September 12 to prepare for the wallk4justice rally on Parliment Hill confirmed for September 15, 2008 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m..
The agenda is soley my responsibility and guests are invited accordingly. If there is anyone who would like to speak they will have to confirm with me so I can make the necessary arrangements to fit them into our schedule.
At this time I would like to introduce to you the main working group, Bernie Williams is a true warrior when it comes to human rights, she has been a warrior in the downtown eastside since 1989 and has walked where angels wouldn't walk to search for missing and murdered women. She has been a very loud voice for the rights of the poor, homeless and drug addicted for over 2 decades.
Nicole Tait is our Youth Advocate. She is a recent graduate and has worked at my side relentlessy, researching and making lists upon lists of confirmed missing and murdered women. She also produced all of our slide shows from every event we go to raising awareness and our website www.walk4justice.piczo.com. She also helps me emmensely with being a caregiver of my beautiful 2 year old granddaughter. She also arranges her own presentations in schools to raise awareness about our women and children. She is only 18. We are all very greatful to have her working with us.
Vikki Peters is a young lady who has been there for all of us since the symposium held in Prince George in March 2006. She always seems to come to our rescue when we need to make a trip up north or anywhere. She supports us because she is also a family member of a missing sister. She understands how we all feel. She has been a great asset to our raising awareness campaign. Her smile has brightened many a day.
Telsa Pratt joined us because her heart is filled with compassion and understanding. Her spirit has brighten all of our hearts and she works continuously organizing our contacts across the nation. Not only that, she introduced us to her sister, Renee Pratt who also felt the need for this walk. She drives us when Vikki is working and is readily available for anything that may arise during the organizing. She and Telsa are both Godsends to all of us.
Rose Shah'traa, well she is just fabulous. She created our facebook page for the walk4justice and spends many hours creating propsals and fundraising events for this cause. She is a hard worker and volunteers her time to make this journey a success after work and until the wee hours of the morning. We are very greatfull to have her on our team.
Don Wright, from Amnesty International has provided us with space for our much need working group meetings and also organizes for our Highway of Tears presentations. He is also working with the head office in Toronto and keeping them informed about this walk. He is an asset to this working group in so many ways. He is not available today and sends his regrets. Amnesty International are supporting this walk nationwide. Thank you Don.
